Amazon announced that Prime subscribers can now join One Medical, the primary care service that Amazon acquired for $3.9 billion, at a steep discount. A membership normally costs $199 per year, but the company has dropped that price to $99 annually (or $9 monthly) for its Prime customers. The discount is effective immediately and available beginning today at this link.
This gives Prime members an easy and much faster way of seeing a primary care doctor without waiting weeks or months, as can often be the case with the US healthcare system. Up to five additional family members can be added to a One Medical plan for $6 / month per person. It’s the most significant move Amazon has made yet with One Medical after offering smaller discounts of $144 / year soon after the deal closed.
One Medical offers same-day care visits either at its in-person boutique locations or through 24-hour virtual appointments. Overall feedback on the service seems positive on the whole, though common customer complaints can include issues like quick turnover. It’s not unusual for members to bounce between different doctors only months apart, making it difficult to establish familiarity with their care provider.
There’s also the reality that plenty of people can’t afford One Medical’s annual subscription on top of their normal insurance fees. That’s led Amazon to try to entice more people to sign up for Prime by lumping in discounted medical care in a country where healthcare is often a luxury. There’s always the question of whether lowering One Medical’s entry price could lead to fewer appointment openings, but presumably, Amazon has done projections on how aggressively it can push for scale without impacting service quality.
Amazon is hoping the cheaper with-Prime rate will significantly boost One Medical’s total membership from the 836,000 subscribers it had at the end of 2022. It’s also trying to establish a deeper presence in the healthcare segment after previously launching Amazon Pharmacy and, more recently, reaching a point where it offers virtual care in all 50 states. (Amazon Clinic is separate from the One Medical business.)